The Dillon tribune., 1887-09-09
Gle 1inon !Tribu,,e.
PINE WOODS OF GEORGIA.
Old Habits of Southern IFos.,itality-The
Small Economics of Poverty.

Small Economics of Poverty.
In an hour they were in the pine woods.
At long intervals there were openings in
which was q wide low. many gcllcricd
house. with its aDpenda.c of dil"pidated
negro quarters and neglected farm lands
u gray, hoary wreck Of prosperous days.
The snow, which still lay in drifts in the
woods, had melted here from tho saffron
stubblc fields. The houses usually APP
shonc rcdly in the closing dusk: the
rooms were alive with children. with gay
young people; matrons with delicate.
fasthious faces bent over their work:
portly handsomely dressed men loiterct!
in the galleries or rode down the long
avenues.
'You would find the old habits of hos
pitality kept up in these houses" said
Lola "Family connections are large in
the south. A Georgian Of the higher
class has cousins all through the Caro-
linas and the gulf states, just as the Vir-
ginians and Kentuckians arc really all of
one blood. From five to ten guests may
drop in unlimited for any meal or come to
stay u week. They ere always sure of u
welcome. The old class Of southerners
would rather give up their chance Of
heaven than the pleasure of keeping open
house for their friends on earth.'
Mr.. Ely's face flushed. 'It is grs-
cious, beautiful custom'' he exclaimed.
1--WE lost much that was wo - keeping
with the old fcudal systems
eyes" said Miss Pogue >.ryly; II have
known Il dinner prepared in our house for
four persons, and Def re it was served
twenty guests arrived Unexpectedly. So
it goes ON all the year round''
''That is delightfyl,' hesitated Mrs.
Ely. ut takes one quite back to patri
archal life. But it would not suit north
ern housckeepers nor northern cooks and
chambermaids. "
at does not suit here" said Lola,
promptly. ''Our mothers were used to it
when they had plenty Of money and OF
servants. But now that We have not
enough of either, the custom keeps many
n family poor, and makes Nfc u trca,imill
for most women. The generation belong
to, Mrs. Ely,' she said, after u pause, her
thin, decisive features heating, ''have
learned to practice small economies in
poverty, and they are forced to see that
there is Il great leakage in their incomes
through these old customs which seem to
you SD beautiful and grand. Yet" she
added, with sudden pride, ~ doubt if
the southerner will ever give up that
CUSTOM"
Mrs. Ely, talking matters over that
night US usual, declared that "the Geor-
gian girl talked and thought precisely
like Il New Englander. And, as far as
can see, she is not III uncommon type now
in this new south | have met women,
since VIC came here, capable shrewd and
alive with energy. They manage planta-
tions and shops; they raise stock, hold Of
fees, publish newspapers. Indeed, while
northern women have been clamoring for
their rights, southern women have found
their way into more careers than they.
They keep up with all the questions of the
day. Miss Lola actually gave me some
new hints on drainage. l suppose wo
Americans have but one blood, after all,
and n hard struggle with poverty will pro-
ducc the Same woman in Georgi;l as in
Connecticut. .'-Rebeccn Harding Davis in
Ilarper's Magazine.